Letter: Public Treatment of Outback Board Members ‘Disheartening’

Dear Editor,

It saddens me to read about the current situation with the former Outback building. What is most disheartening is the poor public treatment of its former board members. The Outback Teen Center Inc. was founded based on the best intentions of committed and dedicated volunteers and donors who supported a concept and a building for the benefit of our children. Hit with an unsustainable financial model as brought to light by the Harvard Community Partners and a number of nonprofit professionals, this nonprofit was forced to fold.

With the building now in the hands of town—is it necessary to put into question the integrity of its former board members? The building received a Certificate of Occupancy, was regularly inspected and properly maintained. So perhaps the town misplaced the relevant documents of a prominent downtown building located on town land. But to publicly hint at negligence of volunteers when paid professionals and officials were involved—that is too much.

Our town counts on the goodwill of many kinds of volunteers—not only those who serve on the boards of nonprofits but also on boards and commissions for the town, our schools and in the interest of public wellness and safety. If volunteers are to be held to standards above those of paid professionals and employees and criticized for doing the best job that could be done— who would volunteer?

Eileen Boyd